Insane
by UltraRecycloVegetarian
Summary: Yet there they were, the kids with wide eyes and loud mouths as they dared to step inside. The goth was no surprise,but the rest were odd. A jock, a geek, a little-miss-perfect, and the boy who didn't seem to be anything at all. But they were all insane, because everyone knows they'd have to be to enter the hospital where kids just like them had been murdered before.
1. Chapter 1

Every town has its secrets. And when whispered in the dead of night, they become stories. Stories that get passed down generation after generation, turning into legends that nobody dare question. At the edge of a town called Amity Park, a ruined building covered with ivy stood like a gravestone. North Mercy. Somewhere along the stories, some of the letters faded out. No coincidence, since the building and its rumored inhabitants showed No Mercy. It was once a notorious psychiatric hospital, teeming with doctors and patients. But the real horror began in the back of the building, where they kept the teenagers and kids that seemed far too young for any type of illness. It was truly a shame that so many died before they could rest at peace. Even after it closed, some believed it wasn't just deaths, but cold-blooded murder. If you grew up in Amity, your dreams would be haunted by that tale - of the receptionist who stayed to care for the patients when no one else stepped up.

It all started with a storm.

Late one night while the hospital was still in operation, the building lost electricity in the midst of a thunderstorm. Storms like this were common, so there wasn't much worry. Until a patient went missing. The next morning, the staff found the girl's body burnt to a crisp, in the woods just behind the ward. While it raised some suspicion, the town was able to chalk it up to a forest fire struck by lightning, which also occurred from time to time. Several months later, another patient was caught in a fire, another storm, another power outage. By now the staff itself was growing weary of the woman who always stayed late, but said nothing. After a third, and a fourth patient lost, they wish they hadn't kept their fears a secret. Four children lost. Hair singed, eyes staring blankly into the pale morning sky. The people of Amity Park refused to believe the deaths were simply a coincidence. And so they arrested the receptionist that worked the graveyard shift, claiming she'd spent too much time around madness, that she'd decided death would be the only way to end her patients' suffering. To add to the horror, she was found dead in her cell no more than a day later, with a bed sheet covering her face, knotted around her neck. Along with her death, she took the truth with her, leaving the town to cook up its secrets, stories, and legends. Within a few short years, North Mercy was closed down. It was left to rot at the edge of town, but the tale of Ms. Penelope lived on. And they say that a woman in red still wanders the halls, her heels clicking against the floor that was no longer linoleum. She follows anyone who dares to enter, sticking you with the calming dose for the more hysterical patients, and drags you outside. You only have a few precious seconds of consciousness, just enough to see her light a match and throw it into the trees. They say she smiles as the smoke swirls around, delighted to put another crazy child out of their suffering. For why would anyone without their own touch of madness enter the asylum to pursue its terrible secrets? Yet there they were, the kids with wide eyes and loud mouths as they dared to step inside. The goth was no surprise, given her interest in the supernatural. But the rest were odd. A jock, a geek, a little-miss-perfect, and the boy who didn't seem to be anything at all. But they were all insane, because everyone knows they'd have to be to enter the hospital where kids just like them had been murdered before.

* * *

_Yes, I know what you're thinking. Another story?! But I couldn't help it. xD I noticed that there aren't any **real** ghost stories lurking around FF, which saddens me. So I wrote my own! This does, however, steal heavily from another book, **The Ghost of Graylock**, so you'll notice the similarities if you've read it. I simply changed the characters a bit and added some more plot to make it more DP style. It'll probably also only be a writers' block story, so I won't update regularly unless people really like it. Anyway, enjoy! c:_


	2. Chapter 2

Danny Fenton sat on the steps of his godparent's house. Well, not his _real_ godparent. But he'd rather get to stay with Dora in Amity Park than with his "Uncle" Vlad. Anyway, he clutched a satchel and waited for his new friends, Tucker and Sam, to arrive. He'd found the satchel buried under a mound of books, and decided it was perfect for exploring North Mercy. Inside, he'd stashed a digital camera, a flashlight for catching shadows, some plastic bags for evidence, and a notebook with a pen. He'd stayed up until the dead of night, skyping Tucker and Sam, as they recounted the legend of Ms. Penelope. Danny wasn't too scared. After all, he'd just left a home of ghost hunters. Well, there weren't really any there anymore. But Danny knew how to communicate with spirits, how to capture them on tape, and how to recognize that feeling you get in haunted places.

"Hey, little brother." Danny turned to find his older sister, Jazz, standing in the doorway of the renaissance-style house. "Waiting for a ride home?" She quipped, raising her eyebrows.

"Ho-ho. You're _so_ funny." Danny swiveled away from her.

"I don't think it's coming." Jazz continued the joke. She stepped out onto the porch, the cool breeze brushing her orange locks. She gazed out, as if wating herself for someone to show up and take them back to their real home. After a minute, she sat down next to Danny. "Seriously though, you look like you're waiting for someone. Aunt Dora said to wait until she gets back."

"Dora mentioned she'd 'be right back'. She didn't say anything about waiting."

"She went out to get groceries. The waiting was implied. I don't wanna get on her bad side after only two days." His sister pursed her lips.

"You don't get on anyone's bad side." Danny teased. "Anyway, I've got plans." _The more time I spend around Aunt, the more I think about Mom and Dad._ He kept the thought to himself.

"You've got plans? Sor-_ry_ for bothering you then." Danny was growing more frustrated by the second. Why couldn't Jazz just leave him alone? He wanted to think about something else for a while. Sensing his discomfort, Jazz's eyes softened. "Danny, I'm just trying to help. I'm having a hard time with this too. You know you can talk to me about anything."

"I'm not having a hard time with anything." He lied. "I just think it's stupid to mope around in a new town."

"You're skipping out on Aunt to explore Amity?" Jazz's tone conjured up a picture in his mind of the main streets, which were almost always covered with people. The only fast-food place around was some burger joint with a weird name. Other than that, Amity was your normal, run-of-the-mill town. Nothing special, unless you counted North Mercy. "Aunt Dora's bookstore is the only thing that's actually interesting." Jazz continued. It was no wonder she liked the bookstore, seeing that school was out and she had nothing but books to occupy her mind. "What else do you think you're going to find?"

"We're not going into town."

"Then where?" Jazz flinched, as if she already knew the answer.

"The insane asylum. North Mercy?" Danny prepared himself for a lecture.

"Danny, it's a psychiatric hospital. Not an asylum."

"Well, Sam says it's haunted. We're looking for ghosts." His sister closed her eyes and breathed in deeply.

"Give me a break! In no world is it okay for you to break into an abandoned building. You could get into serious trouble, never mind what could be in there." She said in her 'older sister' voice. Danny cringed, he should've just lied. The thought of an empty building in the woods was his only incentive to get up in the morning. Since Tucker and Sam had told him about the hospital the night before, he'd been ecstatic to have a _real_ reason to be stuck in Amity Park. Something to do, somewhere where he could escape the idea of his parents. Back in Wisconsin, his mother was lost in a swarm of anxiety, trouble that had been sparked by his father's departure. And as much as he tried to convince himself it wasn't true, Danny knew he would never come back. He hoped that the mystery of Ms. Penelope would be his escape for all this. Thank goodness Dora wasn't too keen on cell phones, or else Jazz might've actually had a chance of stopping him. Still, she could turn into the driveway at any moment.

"Nice try." Jazz grabbed his arm. "Come inside." Danny began to pull away, when a sputtering noise came up the driveway. Thin rubber tires kicked up the gravel. A boy on his bike skidded to a stop, followed by a girl. Tucker Foley and Sam Manson.

"Hey, Danny! You ready?" Her lilac eyes were sparkling, in stark contrast to Tucker's, which were dark with fear. Before Danny could respond, someone else turned up the street and rode swiftly up the path. He took off his helmet and leaned against the mailbox, stopping beside Sam. His skin was perfectly tan, and he had golden hair. He flashed a grin, but it seemed to be directed at Jazz.

"I'm pretty much Sam's older brother. Name's Dash." He ruffled the girl in question's hair, and she cringed.

"The football team, along with the A-listers, kicked him out," said Sam, "so he wanted to tag along." Dash's smile dropped instantly.

"They didn't kick me out! I quit. The team stinks this season." Jazz stood up, straightening her headband.

"I'm Jazz. Danny's older sister. I used to play volleyball, so I know how hard it is to work with other people." Danny cleared his throat, an indication for her to tone it down. And like she always did, Jazz ignored him. "Maybe I should come with you guys. It's probably a good idea to have some adults around. You know, for safety." He pressed his lips together. Danny hated it when she acted she was _so_ responsible, even though she was a mere two years older than him. "I just have to change my shoes. Wait for me?" She dashed back into the house, not waiting for an answer.

"Who's an adult? I thought you said Jazz was sixteen." Tucker raised his eyebrows.

"Cut the girl some slack." Dash said. "She's just looking for adventure, like you guys." Danny rolled his eyes.

* * *

The kids skidded their bikes to a halt, leaning their bikes against the side of the porch. Since Jazz didn't have a bike of her own and was too scared to ride on anyone's handlebars, they'd have to walk the rest of the way to North Mercy. Danny was annoyed, but at least she'd given up her inital goal of keeping him home. The sunlight filtered through the tree trunks, casting shadows at the feet of the small group. Bird song rose and fell in waves. The beauty of the afternoon crashed with the intentions of the group, as Danny grew increasingly excited with every step. He could almost feel the eerie prescence in the woods, waiting for him. "How much farther?" He asked.

"There's a turnoff just ahead," said Dash. "I can't believe how close your aunt lives to this place." He walked a little faster, just enough to come in step with Jazz.

"Y'know guys, it's not too late to change our minds and head to the Nasty Burger instead." Tucker stated nervously.

"Oh c'mon, it's not going to be _that_ bad." Sam laughed. "Seriously though, what I can't believe is that Danny didn't know about Mercy until I told him last night."

"How did you guys all meet, anyway?" Jazz asked skeptically.

"Tucker, Sam and I go way back." Dash grinned.

"Yeah, I got that." Jazz's cheeks colored slightly. "I mean, how'd you find Danny?"

"At the bookstore, of course." Sam smiled. A couple days before, when Danny and Jazz had just arrived, Danny didn't have much to do except hang around the bookstore. Not that he minded, it was full of rows upon rows of books in no particular order, and you could even buy some coffee and enjoy your book there. He was sitting on one of the plush chairs, thinking of his mother's tear-stained face. _I just need some time alone, honey._ She'd informed him only a week earlier. Dora Mattingly was on of their closer family friends, and offered to have Danny and Jazz stay with her for the summer. His parents' longtime college friend, Vlad, lived closer, but Danny didn't harbor much of a liking towards the man. After all, this was his fault. Vlad had wished for Jack to step out of the picture so he could marry Maddie, Danny's mom, and now it had been granted. Danny wasn't sure how exactly how his father died, he just knew that it was from one of his inventions. So now Danny was stuck in a town in the middle of nowhere with his sister, and then did he understand his brain wasn't so different from his mother's. None of them could escape. He was jolted out of his thoughts when a girl spoke to him.

"You work here, right? I special ordered a book last week and it still isn't here." A raven-haired girl was looming over him, pursing her purple lips while a boy in a red beret next to her had his nose in a comic book.

"Uh..." Danny trailed off, not knowing how to respond. He knew Dora was shelving, and she'd be less than pleased if he disturbed her. "Not really. But I could try to help." They spent the next half-hour in the back room, combing through the books. She'd explained that she wanted to learn more about ghosts, which is why she'd ordered the book in the first place. It wasn't long before Danny was telling her all he knew, and they took turns scaring Tucker. He found himself feeling empty when they hurried off, saying something about missing a curfew.

"Here we are." Dash stood proudly near a gravel road that led into a dense forest. Hidden by tall weeds and low branches, a rotting wooden sign stood atop a thick post: _North Mercy-State Hospital_.

"Notice how it says nothing about crazy people." Sam smirked.

"Well, what would you like it to say? 'Welcome to Your Worst Nightmare'?" Tucker snapped.

"Where is it?" Danny craned his neck, trying to see the building.

"Way back through the trees. The main building is on a small island, near Amity Lake. The woods are state property. There isn't much else here." Dash said. As the group stood at the edge of the path, a gust of wind scattered pine needles at their feet. "You sure you wanna go inside?"

"Is it dangerous?" Jazz asked, fear creeping into her voice.

"Probably." Sam shrugged and pulled Tucker along, who was starting to cower. Jazz sighed and hugged her ribs, protecting herself from someone who wasn't there.

"You don't really believe the hospital has ghosts in it, do you?" Jazz spoke directly to Dash.

"It's hard not to believe when so many people claim to have seen them." Dash replied.

"Seen _who_?" The redhead's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Ms. Penelope, and the rest of the insane kids." Danny would've laughed if Sam hadn't already given him the rundown the day before. Now he listened again as Dash recounted the tale. Even though he'd already heard it, the story gave him chills.

"And we're going here why?" Jazz paused in the middle of the gravel path as Dash finished speaking.

"There's so much to see!" He sounded excited, like a child on Christmas morning. "After North Mercy was closed down six years ago, the patients were either relocated or released. It happened in a hurry. They even left behind medical records!"

"Tell them about the padded cells with the gouge marks. Or the bloodstains streaking the floor. Or the crayon graffiti drawings that are everywhere." Sam skipped forward. Jazz's face turned pale, and Danny knew one more miss would have her running off. That would be a disaster, she'd probably tell Dora and make them all come back.

"She's kidding." Danny rolled his eyes.

"Come on," Dash took her hand. "It won't be that scary if you're with me." Jazz slightly recoiled, but her eyes sparked. They were in the clear. Sam caught up with Danny, whispering into his ear.

"But I _wasn't_ kidding."

* * *

_Okay, so this was pretty much just character development. I know Jazz is a little OOC, but feel free to tell me if any others are. The real action will start next chapter! Special thanks for liking it so much, you guys. Hopefully you like this chapter! c:_


	3. Chapter 3

As the group approached the small bridge, they came to an old metal fence that was leaning forward, rusty and creaking. Danny pointed out a small space at the bottom, and Dash pulled up the chain link. The gap grew wider. One by one, Jazz, Tucker, Sam, and Danny crawled through. Dash followed carefully, pressing into the ground. The path continued across the concrete bridge, over the water where the tall lake grass waved in the wind, and onto the long, narrow island. Up ahead, visible between the tree trunks, stood a mass of drab gray stone. An entrance. A wall, maybe. It was covered with a moss so thick it looked poisonous.

"There it is. North Mercy Hospital." Dash said. The road led a circular path along the building. On the other side was the hospital's main entrance; a wide stone staircase that rose toward a nailed-shut door. The building wasn't too wide, but each of its three stories seemed to be taller than the last, giving the kids the illusion that the building would collapse on them at any moment. Danny could just barely make out a slope towards a lake, that was also covered with forest. It wasn't difficult for him to imagine a patient wandering into the trees late at night. It certainly would've been difficult to escape flames, especially for someone who was disoriented in the first place. Suddenly, Danny was overwhelmed with sadness. People had died here. And for the ones that had lived, life didn't seem all that easy or fun. He had come here hoping to escape his tangled thoughts, only to find himself twisted in new ones. Danny blinked and pulled out his camera, remembering how his parents had worked. They never jumped to conclusions, letting their emotions interfere. Danny took several pictures to make himself feel better. This was _his_ very own ghostly investigation. "I think there's a window around the side that we can crawl through." Dash shook Danny out of his thoughts.

"Are you guys really sure you're ready for this?" Jazz and Sam had followed Dash towards the left, while Tucker and Danny hung back. "Some people say Ms. Penelope is totally real."

"Yeah, but ghosts can't hurt you." Danny responded.

"What makes you think that?" Sam fell back into their conversation.

"Ghosts don't have bodies, so how would they be able to touch you?" Danny allowed himself a moment of pride, letting his father's words fill his head. "The Ms. Penelope story is creepy, but I doubt her ghost would really be able to drag someone down to the lake. Even if she _was_ totally psycho."

"There are other ways to hurt someone." Tucker pointed out.

"Like how?"

"They can get in here." Tucker motioned to his forehead.

"In your head?" asked Danny. He thought of his mother, of her crying, her unrecognizable face. He ruminated about the shadow person that was definitely lurking inside himself, and his stomach clenched. Maybe it had been a mistake to come here.

"Are you guys coming or what?" Dash shouted from across the stone wall.

"Yeah!" Sam answered for all three of them, dragging the boys towards Jazz and Dash, who were standing next to what looked like a tall basement window. The grass was up to Danny's knees, and there was shattered glass littering the ground. Dash lowered himself into the darkness, and Jazz blushed as if she were his partner in crime. And breaking into an abandoned building was a crime, wasn't it?

"There's a table down here!" Dash shouted from inside. "Looks pretty sturdy." The sound of wood scraping against the gritty floor echoed out of the hospital. Then Dash's face appeared, at the bottom of the window frame. "Here," He waved Jazz inside. "you can just climb on in, the drop isn't far." Jazz sighed reluctantly, then sat down and scooted herself forward. Tucker and Sam followed. Danny glanced around, making sure no one was watching before he too crouched in the small grass. Sitting on the ledge of the window, he finally caught a glimpse inside North Mercy. Dusty light revealed a wide wooden floor, a tall ceiling. Bolted high on opposite walls were...basketball hoops? The hospital had a gym? Weird. But kind of cool. Danny lowered his bag inside to Jazz, who said something about being careful. Then he dropped to the table, sneakers thudding. It was a good thing there was light streaming from the window, because inside the world had turned to shadows and dust.

Nature was slowly reclaiming the building. The once-glossy floors were warped from water damage. There were thick patches of moss on every wall with peeling paint. Great chunks of plaster had fallen from the roof, littering the ground with even more debris.

"Where to?" Jazz handed Danny his bag and glanced around the ruined room.

"If Danny wants his evidence about Nurse Janet, we should probably check the youth ward first." Sam sounded confident, as if she broke into haunted hospitals all the time. Danny raised his camera, snapping pictures of the gymnasium.

"Smile!" He waved for the other four to line up as the flash lit up the room. For the next fifteen minutes, they wandered. The labyrinth-like halls were dark, almost pitch-black. Danny's flashlight came in handy as they stumbled through doorways, past dust-encrusted wheelchairs, and up a narrow flight of stairs. Spiders and insects were crawling across their feet. Danny kept his body tight, just in case something decided to reach out and grab him. The group had no idea where they were headed. Danny took comfort in snapping pictures along the way. After all, you never know what the camera might pick up.

"Where are the padded rooms?" Tucker glared accusingly at Sam. "And blood. I don't see anything."

"Yeah, if I wanted creepy I'd look under Danny's bed. He's got some hostile dust bunnies." Jazz crossed her arms, and Danny knew that was a sign of her being nervous.

"Want me to tell them what I found under yours last month?" He scowled.

"Don't you dare!"

"I don't believe everything I hear." Dash said coolly, breaking up the brewing fight. "_Especially_ about this place. Maybe there aren't any padded rooms with bloody streaks. But, we've barely seen anything of what this place has to offer."

"Look!" Sam pointed to a sign that was posted on a nearby wall.

**Activity Room ****To The Left****  
**

**Adult Ward ****To The Right****  
**

**Cafeteria To The Right****  
**

**Exercise Ward ****To The Left** **  
**

**Youth Ward To The Left****  
**

"Sweet. Maybe the cafeteria's still serving snacks, I could totally go for some nachos right now." Dash grinned, and Jazz laughed. Sam grabbed the boy's sleeve and tugged him in the opposite direction.

"Come on, Dash. All this waiting is gonna make me insane." As they headed towards the youth ward, the word hung in the air.

_Insane._

Danny took the lead, trying to outrun it.

Worn linoleum covered the floors, and cracked ceramic ran along the walls. The group's footfalls echoed, ringing in their ears, as each step brought them farther from their entry and closer to their goal. They walked without speaking, as if out of respect for the former patients, or just out of fear. Maybe a little bit of both. Danny took care in marking each turn in his notebook. Eventually the group came to a double door, wire crisscrossed in the glass panels. Dash pulled on the door handle, and a sickly sweet scent wafted through, causing Tucker to sneeze. After they'd all slipped inside, Jazz gasped. On the far left side of the rectangular room, there was a table set up, as if for some party. A festive cloth -faded blue with grinning clowns- covered the table. Someone had arranged paper plates and cups for a gathering that had never occurred. A cake, which looked like it had solidified under its green and white frosting, perched in the corner on a small silver stand. A large chunk was missing. And a banner had half fallen from the wall, reading _Happy Birthday_.

"Weird," Sam whispered, entranced.

"Still hungry?" Danny asked as Dash walked forward. "It's not nachos, but petrified cake might be good too." Dash ignored him, surveying the room, mesmerized by what they'd found. The youth ward. Toys and fake make-up littered the floor. A jigsaw puzzle was lying half-finished on the floor, bleached nearly white from the sunlight that had been passing through for fifteen years or so. To the right of the windows was a bookshelf packed with dolls and stuffed animals, some of which had inexplicably toppled to the ground, like corpses at a murder scene. When Danny took out his camera and snapped a photo, his fellow explorers yelped in surprise. "Sorry." He whispered sheepishly.

"It looks like everyone left in such a hurry," Jazz breathed.

"Maybe once the staff realized they were being forced out, they thought it would be pointless to clean up." Tucker suggested, looking a little less nauseous than he had before.

"But still..." Jazz sounded as if she couldn't comprehend what had gone on in the institution's final days. Danny understood her feeling, he felt as if he'd stumbled upon a car crash with its victims long gone. He lowered his camera, drinking in the silence.

"Wonder what's upstairs?" Sam moved towards a wire mesh door, with a staircase leading up.

"Or down." Dash joined her, his voice daring as he looked into the darkness.

"Let's not take our chances." Tucker said nervously. "It's probably locked anyway." Sam tried the door, and it squeaked open.

"Wouldn't hurt to check it out." Danny led them upstairs, gripping his flashlight unsurely. Once he made it to the top, he looked behind to make sure his friends had followed. Their wide eyes reflected his own. The hallway up here was even more unsettling, with numbered doors that stood opposite each other every two feet.

"Must've been the dormitory," Jazz decided, her voice tainted with fear. Maybe it was the curve of the hall that seemed to lead into nothingness. Or maybe the intimacy of knowing that this was where the patients slept, lived, dreamed. Patients that weren't much older than Danny himself. But he wondered, what they'd done to end up here. What had been wrong with them? He remembered when his father left, his mom had changed. She'd turned into a shadow of herself, crying, screaming. It made Danny wonder if _he_ had a shadow person living inside of him. What would happen if it decided to come out? Would he be declared insane and be shipped off to a place like North Mercy? The others stepped forward, crossing the flashlight's beam. Dash opened a door, letting sunlight stream into the hallway. It was room number one. Inside, dust swirled above a twin bed, where a rumpled and stained pillow was propped up against a greenish-brown wall. The space was otherwise empty. Danny shuddered. He couldn't imagine spending another minute in this room, let alone a night, or a month, a year. Maybe even more...

"Guys," He whispered. "Maybe we shouldn't-" But he stopped mid-sentence, as the group had separated, opening doors down the hall. Danny gave in and comforted himself as he drifted from room to room, taking pictures. One had books littered across the ground, ranging from chapter books to textbooks on Math. Danny leaned down and opened one, which read "_This Book Belongs to Sidney Pointdexter."_ He dropped it back down, satisfied. When he peeked back into the hallway, Danny realized he was alone. The hallway behind him was flooded with light. But the corridor ahead remained shadowy. If everyone had gone on without him, why hadn't anyone bothered to open any doors? A quiet shuffling sound came from the darkness, alerting Danny. His flashlight provided a bit of comfort as he made his way around the bend. The beam revealed another hallway, and halfway down a door was slightly ajar. However, no sunlight streamed forth. If the room had a window, something was blocking it. Danny crept forward. "Hello?" His voice sounded louder than he'd meant. No one answered, but the shuffling sound continued. Soft soles on a slick floor. "Hello?" He called again, skin prickling. Again, no answer. He tried to move forward, but his legs had turned to Jell-O, shoes like cinder blocks. Still holding the flashlight, Danny held up his camera, in case he had to snatch a hurried shot if something unpleasant appeared. He forced his feet forward, rubber sneakers squeaking against the floor in protest. He came to the doorframe, and the placard read Room 16. Leaning forward with the flashlight, Danny peered around the corner. A white figure was standing in the middle of the bedroom. She seemed to be staring at the boarded-shut window. Her long hair hung half-way down her back. She didn't turn, not even when Danny let out a small whimper.  
He'd found Ms. Penelope.

* * *

_Gosh, I had so much fun writing this. Any guesses on how you guys think Ms. Penelope will act? Ahah, I'd love to hear your guys' opinions! c:_


	4. Chapter 4

The figure swayed slightly, and Danny immediately realized his mistake. She wasn't dressed in white, but the bright flashlight made it seem so. Jazz was wearing the same turquoise blouse and black jeans as when they'd left Dora's house. That's how he recognized her. Still, something was strange. Hadn't she heard him?

"Jazz..." He spoke quietly, calmly. She made no sign that she'd heard him. "Jazz." He said it louder this time. Again,nothing. Danny's sister was acting way too much like his mom. He'd worried about his own shadow person; should he have kept an eye on Jazz as well?

Danny stepped through the doorway. Even though the room was about the same size as the others, it felt smaller. Claustrophobic. Like the walls were closing in on him. He touched Jazz's shoulder, but she didn't turn.

"There's something about this room..." Her groggy voice said instead, as if she'd woken up from a deep sleep.

"Let's go." Danny's flashlight flickered. A flash of panic crackled his skin. Shadows leapt out from the walls momentarily before retreating swiftly back into place. Jazz finally looked at him, but her eyes were blank, as if she were staring straight through him. Several seconds passed before she blinked and appeared to recognize him. "C'mon, we have to go find Tucker, Sam and Dash."

"Who?"

Danny clutched the flashlight even harder and felt his hand shaking. He answered carefully. "We came here with my new friends, remember?" She merely nodded, silently thanking him for the reminder. Danny reached out for her hand, but she stumbled backward towards the boarded-up window.

"This room..." Jazz glanced over her shoulder, still sounding dazed.

"What about it?" Danny was growing frustrated, and he moved towards the doorway. At the moment, he was prepared to leave his sister and go back to the common room.

"Shh," Jazz cocked her head, intently listening. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" A chill ran down Danny's spine.

"Whispering."

The flashlight blew out. Darkness came. Danny and Jazz collided with each other before bouncing away. They screamed, then froze, paralyzed by fear.

"We're fine." Danny tried reassuring themselves a second later. "The batteries just died." He flicked the flashlight switch on and off, without success. They were blind. After shoving the device back into his bag, he managed to find Jazz's hand in the darkness. "Come on, let's-"

_ WHAM._

The room shook. Danny felt himself falling backwards, tripping and landing on a damp mattress. He could've sworn he heard a blood-curdling scream.

"What was _that_?" Jazz's voice lifted dramatically.

"I don't know." He replied, standing up. "Let's go." He dashed towards the doorway, only to meet a blossom of pain; his forehead and nose felt as if they'd exploded. He groaned. Something wet dripped over his lip. Danny poked out his tongue, and tasted blood.

"The door must've slammed shut." Jazz mused. She sounded normal enough. "Are you okay? That sounded bad."

He wiped at his face, the warm liquid coating the back of his hand. "I'm bleeding."

"Your nose?"

"Yeah."

"Pinch it. Near the bridge." Jazz instructed as she fidgeted with the doorknob. "This thing is stuck!" She sighed in frustration. Danny's face was throbbing, but this news made his entire body shake. "Can you help?"

Ignoring the pain, he reached out blindly. He grabbed the knob, but it wouldn't turn. Even when he used all of his weight, the door refused to give. "Are we trapped in here?"

"Sam!" Jazz cried. "Dash! Tucker! We know you're out there!" She paused for a few seconds, listening to the silence. "This is _not_ funny!" She pounded on the metal door. It reminded Danny of thunder, now all they needed was lightning.

The camera! It had a flash. Maybe there was a latch that they'd missed. He grabbed at the camera, but his hands were still slick with blood. Finally, he clutched the camera's metal casing and held the device out before him. "Stand back." He pressed down the shutter, and the light burst inside the small room, only to die down a second a later. "Useless." Danny muttered.

"No, not useless." Jazz argued. "Turn on the view screen, it's got to give off some light." Danny complied, pressing a few buttons, then the camera glowed a faint blue. He held it up to the doorknob, but there wasn't a lock.

"What the heck! How are we supposed to-"

Danny felt a blast of cold air and Jazz hastily stepped back as the door flew open, pulling Danny back with her.

"Run!" Sam grabbed Danny's arm and sprinted down the hallway, leaving him no choice but to follow. He could hear the clicking of Jazz's flats and Tucker's boots behind him. Sam lead them towards the stairs, running at a pace that made her look like a blur.

"Watch out!" Jazz grabbed Danny's arm just as he was about to topple headfirst off the top stair. He swung out and clasped the railing, pinning himself against the wall.

His heart was galloping; lungs burning. His eyes scanned the dark corridor, searching for movement, but nothing was there. At least, nothing he could see.

"Can we not stop here, please?" Tucker's voice was shaky. Sam nodded and led them to the bottom of the staircase, near the common room, before turning back to get a good look at Danny.

"Woah, what happened? Danny, you're bleeding."

Danny bit back a sarcastic reply. "I ran into a door, back in that room."

"Did something happen to you two?" Jazz interrupted. "I heard you guys screaming."

"It- She was a girl. Like a ghost." Sam replied.

"But it wasn't Nurse Janet." Tucker added quickly. "She looked more like a teenager. Wild hair, red eyes...I told you we shouldn't have gone into Room 13!" He glared at Sam.

"Yeah, it was pretty freaky." Sam admitted. "Where'd Dash go?" She looked around, just noticing his absence.

"I'm here." Dash came through a doorway on the other side of the cake table, holding what looked like a brown file folder. "I found an office. You wouldn't _believe_ the kind of things they left behind in this place." When he saw their state, his eyes widened. "What happened?"

"Don't ask." Tucker shuddered. "We're leaving."

"Already? But things are just starting to get good."

"Been down here for a while?" Jazz asked with a scowl.

Dash nodded slowly, wearing an almost obnoxious expression that said, _What's your problem?_

"Someone's upstairs, in one of the bedrooms." Sam said simply.

"No way." Dash stared past them, towards the staircase. Danny tried grabbing his arm, but he shook it off. "I wanna check it out." He yanked the mesh door open and took the steps two at a time, disappearing into the darkness.

"Forget him." Jazz shook her head. "I'm not spending another minute in this place." Danny could tell anything she'd felt towards him before had evaporated.

Tucker opened his mouth to protest, but Sam beat him to it. "You're right. He _can_ be a jerk sometimes." She turned towards the mesh door and called, "Meet us outside, Dash!" She didn't receive an answer.

The three headed back towards the youth ward into the long hallway, running in the direction of the crumpling gym. At least, that's where they thought they were headed. Even though Danny had marked every turn they'd made, his sense of direction was now screwed up because of Room 16. Which wasn't good, since they were weaving around a dark building with no working flashlight.

Sam stopped once she noticed an open doorway up ahead, revealing a staircase. "Don't we have to go down some stairs eventually?" Tucker nodded.

"Why don't we just keep going straight ahead on this floor?" Jazz said. "I mean, it's not like we're trapped in here or anything." She shot a pointed look at Danny.

"You're right." He quickly agreed. "Let's try this way. At the very least, we'll come to a window, and we can climb out. It shouldn't be too far of a drop."

"I think the second story was pretty high up." Sam said, a little impatiently. "And after everything else that's happened to me, I really don't feel like breaking my ankle."

Danny shrugged. "Well, that's our other option." The darkness seemed to swell, snapping at their heels.

"Let's follow you." Tucker agreed. "I think-"

"Shh!" Sam silenced them. "Am I the only one who hears something?"

Then Danny heard it too. From the youth ward, sharp footsteps echoed towards them.

_ Clip-clip-clip-clip._

"Dash?" Tucker whispered.

"Dash is wearing sneakers...isn't he?" Jazz's voice quivered.

"It's gotta be someone else." Danny decided. People had said that you could hear Ms. Penelope's heels throughout the entire hospital. And judging from the sound, she was getting closer.

* * *

_Yay for getting back into this story! I'm sorry, I've been caught up in school. Anyway, does anyone know how to indent? FF took all my indents out. /: I'm trying to edit my stories better now haha. Anyway, I'd love a review! c:_


	5. Chapter 5

They ran, tripping, colliding with each other. The hallway seemed to grow. They didn't know where they were headed, and they didn't care, as long as it was away from the sound of the approaching footsteps. The squeaking of their rubber soles on the cracked linoleum sounded like an old-fashioned drag race. Danny tried to imagine that was exactly what they were doing, racing.

But if they lost...

_Ghosts can't hurt you_, he thought. But Danny's bruised nose continued to throb. His lips still tasted like blood. What if Sam hadn't opened the door? Would he and Jazz have had to spent the night in North Mercy? Would anyone even bother to come looking for them?

Danny sprinted, pumping his arms faster. He was determined to reach the door up ahead, to shut it and barricade it from whatever was chasing them.

Jazz, Tucker and Sam kept up. They all careened through the doorway and found what they first thought was a dead end. Another large room, with a high ceiling and scratched-up wooden floor. A wide stone mantel was set deep into the opposite wall. A fireplace blackened with soot opened up beneath it.

The room looked like it had been used for entertaining, with rotting leather couches and wide circular tables that were now pushed against the far wall that was covered in bookcases. A rolled-up Persian rug had been shoved underneath the windows that looked out at the lake.

A loud ruckus erupted from a far corner of the room. Turning, the four kids watched in horror as a massive black entity expanded all the way up to the ceiling.

Tucker screamed.

Moments later, he covered his mouth to conceal his nervous laughter. It was only birds. Several large crows circled overhead, cawing at them tauntingly, before settling back near the fireplace mantel.

A strong breeze came in through the cracked windows, which is where the birds must have found entry. Below the windows, the wooden floor underneath the carpets looked as if it were sagging.

Judging by the view outside, Danny imagined the gym was right below them. He wiped the remaining blood from his face and stepped farther into the room to get a better look. If they'd entered the hospital from just outside, they could easily find their way back from the small bridge. They'd only have to wait for Dash to-

Danny swayed forward as the floor dipped. He screamed. The wood gave way underneath him and sharp splinters gouged his skin. Panic. Pain. The others rushed forward, but he shouted for them to stay back. With a little hesitation, they listened. Stabbing sensations were running up and down his leg. "The entire floor could give out." He warned.

"Then _you_ get away from there too!" Jazz shrieked.

The floor began to creak. Danny didn't think it would be hard for it to swallow him whole. He carefully sat down and pulled his leg out from the small hole that was lined with pieces of sharp wood. As soon as he got it out, he plucked several large splinters from the raw wound. He tried to brush the dust and dirt away from his skin, but the pain had started to magnify. His skin had split deeply in many places. Starting to swell up and bead with blood. Jazz came over and put her hands on his shoulders, slowly leading him away from the gaping floor.

"Are you okay?" She sounded like a concerned mother.

"I-I don't know." The room was spinning. Danny wanted to puke. He knew they'd made a huge mistake coming here. But the real question was: How would they get out?

"Can you walk, dude?" Tucker and Sam eyed his leg. Sam with curiosity, and Tucker with disgust.

Danny struggled, but managed to stand up. He groaned as the pain in his leg bursted into tiny pieces.

"I hope so." He gasped. Tucker and Jazz stood on either side of him as he wrapped his arms around their shoulders. Sam led them again, moving towards the bookcases.

"What now?" Jazz said. "We're going to have to go back the staircase down the hallway, right?"

"But what if Nurse Penelope is out there waiting for us?" Fear crept into Tucker's voice.

As if on cue, footsteps echoed near the wall directly behind them. The shelves seemed to move forward, hinged on one side. It was a hidden door. A stone passage appeared. A wheezing sound came from inside, and Danny held his breath when a human shape materialized, thinking it would be his last.

It stumbled into the dim light, choking as if it hadn't taken a breath in years. Seconds later, when everyone's eyes focused and their brains caught up to their imagination, the foursome realized this was no mysterious figure.

"Dash?" Sam's voice was questioning. "What are you doing in there?"

Dash shook his head in astonishment at the scene in front of him. Blood dripping down Danny's leg, a hole ripped through the wooden floor, the horror on everyone's faces. "Man, I keep missing all the good stuff." He sounded disappointed.

"_Good_ stuff?" Jazz scowled. "Where have you been, anyway?"

He explained that he'd gone farther down the dark hallway upstairs, twisting and turning through several wings of the hospital, until he realized he was completely lost. He'd ended up in an Administrative office and found a crack in the damp wall. Upon examination, he discovered what appeared to be a claustrophobic and very dusty stairwell spiraling downwards. At a certain point during his descent, he'd heard familiar voices. He pushed his weight against a wooden panel and found the rest of crew.

"We need to leave." Jazz didn't seem to have heard anything Dash said. "Now. Danny is seriously hurt."

Danny tried to protest, but he shut up once she sent him a glare.

"I think this is the best way out." Dash pointed behind him to the passage. "It might get us back down to ground level."

"Might?" Tucker looked through the tunnel skeptically.

"They gym is right below us, right Danny?" Sam reasoned. "We can just crawl back out the window we came in."

* * *

Once they got outside, Danny realized he'd been holding his breath since they went down the staircase.

As they climbed one-by-one through the broken window, he almost expected a booming voice to call out, commanding them not to leave. They would turn to find men in white coats wearing plastic masks with wide grins, carrying straight jackets to bind them and drag them all back up to Room 16, where they'd finally meet Ms. Penelope.

But of course, that didn't happen.

The sun had fallen behind the horizon of the lake. It was getting late. Dora would certainly be waiting for them, worrying. They made their way back to the small bridge, and when Danny crawled under the gap in the fence, the gashes in his leg seemed to wail. Jazz helped him up, shaking her head. "You really need a doctor."

"I'm fine." Danny insisted.

Jazz gave him a look, but they ventured out onto the main road. They were all covered in dirt and grime, hair slicked back with sweat. Danny understood the stories about North Mercy now, why anyone who'd been there said once was _more_ than enough.

Someone stepped out of the woods in front of them, blocking their path to the main road. A man. He was average height, with shaggy black hair like Danny's. Crooked glasses were perched on his nose. He was wearing a purple coat and a green scarf was wrapped around his neck. The man seemed a bit older than Aunt Dora, but he looked thin and boyish.

The group paused. Danny was too exhausted to react.

The man crossed his arms, eyebrows crinkled. He looked as if he knew exactly where they'd been and what they'd been up to. But before he could scold them, he took in the shape of Danny's leg. He sighed and muttered, "North Mercy." It wasn't a question, so the group didn't object to his accusation. "It's a dangerous place, when are you kids going to learn that?" He shook his head, as if he'd seen things like this before.

"I've lived back there for years," He nodded at the woods behind him. "but I've seen enough of this nonsense to last a lifetime. Always blood. C'mon, I'll drive you kids home. At the rate you're walking, you'll get home by midnight." He eyed Danny's carnage. The man turned around and started towards a building which must be his house, even though the roof was barely visible through the thick foliage.

None of them moved or said a word. But Danny knew what they were thinking: Never accept a ride from strangers, a rule that had been driven into them since they could hear.

The man turned back, raising his thin eyebrows. "Are you kids coming?"

"We don't know you." Dash answered. "Sorry."

"Well, I know you." He seemed to be getting impatient. "Dash Baxter? I used to work with your father. Tucker Foley, Samantha Manson."

Sam cringed, obviously not liking the use of her full name.

He glanced at Danny and Jazz. "You must be Dora's niece and nephew. She said you two were coming from Wisconsin. I'm Andrew. I like stopping by the bookstore, but more to write than to read." The group stared at him in shock. "Don't believe me? I can call them right now and tell them what you were doing."

"No!" Sam and Tucker said simultaneously. "I mean," Sam threw a look that could kill in Tucker's direction. "no thank you. We don't want to worry them."

"I'm sure that's the case." Andrew's eyes twinkled and he smiled, but it dropped even faster than it appeared. "But I believe it's a little too late for that. How long have you all been out here?"

Danny wasn't sure what to say, and neither did anyone else. Luckily, Andrew's eyes softened. "Come on, my car is right up here."

* * *

_Okay, just to clear it up, Andrew is supposed to be the Ghostwriter haha. It's just what I thought his real name would've been. I tried to make it as descriptive as possible. I think every character in here will have some relation to the show, fyi. Leave a review! c:_


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